Lt-General Gurmeet Singh addressing the press.
The Indian army today stopped short of accusing the Pakistani army of involvement in a massive infiltration attempt by at least 30 terrorists in Kashmir, but said that the encounter, now in its ninth day, suggests that the infiltrators had backing and training of "special troops."
"There were some special troops (involved in the infiltration bid), the training shows it. It is different from earlier attempts," said Lt-General Gurmeet Singh of the Army's 15 Corps. He said it would be "premature" for him to comment on specifics, but said, "This is a BAT action cum infiltration," referring to the Border Action Team of the Pakistani army. The unit includes members of Pakistan's commando Special Services Group.
Lieutenant General Gurmeet Singh said five Indian soldiers have been injured in the encounter, none of them seriously.
The infiltration by the Pakistanis began on September 24, in the Keran sector about 100 km from Srinagar, five days before the Prime Minister and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif met in New York. The leaders agreed that their military commanders will work urgently to repair the ceasefire along the Line of Control, which has been violated gravely in recent months, creating tension for both countries.
Analysts say that the encounter proves that Mr Sharif, who was elected in May, will be unable to influence or check the powerful Pakistani army.
Though the Indian army claims 12 infiltrators have been killed, no bodies have been recovered so far. When asked for an explanation, Lieutenant General Gurmeet Singh said, "Retrieving bodies of dead terrorists is of no consequence to us."
The scale of the infiltration attempt, sources said, is clear from the fact that nearly 300 militants were gathered on the Pakistani side of the border, just miles from the Indian village of Shala Batu along the Line of Control. Army sources said that recently, a group of them tried to cross into India, but were trapped between a fence and the border.
Intelligence officials said that they were alerted to the presence of Pakistani militants by villagers from Shala Batu, who said that late in September, local girls were harassed by the foreigners, triggering angry protests.